The government and the Department of Environment and Climate Change launched a massive crackdown beginning today (Wednesday) after the deadline for prohibiting the sale and usage of thin shopping bags expired on December 10.
Grocery store owners and other retailers in the Rawalpindi Division would be subject to fines and penalties for using thin plastic bags. Penalties include fines between Rs50,000 and Rs100,000 and the closure of stores for three days. With assistance from the police, the Department of Environment, District Administration, and Food Authority work together on the operation.
While outright prohibiting the use of thinner shopping bags, the government has permitted the use of 75-micron thick bags, subject to the payment of a hefty licence fee.
The Food Authority claims that producers of thick shopping bags are required to pay Rs300,000 in taxes annually each machine. Shopkeepers who sell groceries, milk, meat, fruits and vegetables would have to pay Rs100,000 a year and get a licence, while wholesale merchants will be subject to an annual levy of Rs200,000. A licence renewal cost of Rs50,000 is required.
Saleem Pervez Butt, president of the Grocery Merchant Association, called the tax unfair. “Shopping bags usually cost grocery stores between Rs2,000 and Rs3,000 a month. He urged the government to examine the policy, saying, “An annual tax of Rs100,000 is disproportionate, especially when 90% of shops have stock worth only Rs100,000 to Rs150,000.”
Hassan Waqar Cheema, the deputy commissioner for Rawalpindi, stressed the importance of strictly enforcing the prohibition on thin shopping bags. He declared, “The crackdown starts today.”
